I have been lurking on the Google alt.herpes newsgroup for a few
months now and I was hoping that you all could answer some of my
questions.

I have been experiencing herpes syptoms (swollen glands, tingling,
cold sores, strange pains, excessive sweating and hot flashes, genital
itching, etc…), but my recent Western Blot came back negative. My
Doctor does not think that I have herpes, despite me telling him that
my wife had what looked like an initial outbreak (ring of painful
blisters on her buttocks) about a year ago. I noticed that this is a
common complaint in the newsgroup and I plan to get tested again at a
different lab/medical facility. I was surprised at the negative test
result. Do you have any suggestions for when and what test to take?

My wife never went to the Dr. for what appeared to be an initial
outbreak, and she has experienced other symptoms. I think that I am
the source of the infection, but after reading FAQs, medical articles,
and books, I am even more confused abut all of this. I did not suspect
herpes until my wife showed me the blisters/sore on her buttocks and I
got a sore throat after giving oral s** (to her). I started getting
outbreaks on my face around my mouth and on my forehead which did not
respond to topical ointments (calamine, cortisone, etc.). I am past
the point of trying to figure out who gave to whom and when, but I
want to manage this better and learn the signs and triggers of my
outbreaks.

1) Is it possible for me to have contracted herpes genitally, given it
to my wife, and then gotten an oral HSV re-infection from her? I have
had pain in my groin and a hair bump like spot (swollen lymph
node/gland??) that corresponds to the spot on my wife’s buttocks, but
I don’t remember which came first.

2) If I have both genital and oral infections would the recurrences
happen at the same time or at different times like they seem to do for
me?

3) I am concerned that I have the infection in my eyes (right eye
bothers me more, itching, discharge, wierd pains). I have seen a Gen.
Practitioner (diagnosed conjuntivitis), and optometrist for an eye
exam (diagnosed seasonal allergic conjunctivitis), and an
opthamologist (who diagnosed chronic blepharitis) and my eyes are
still problematic. Is there a specific test I can ask an opthamolgist
to perform to determine if this is true?

4) I have been taking lysine, 1000mg, once daily, at the 1st sign of
an outbreak (tingling or cold sores), but I have seen recommendations
to do this 3 times a day. Should I be taking more or is this a trial
and error situation that I will have to figure out?

5) How does oral infection affect the tongue? I have what feels like a
cut on my tongue at times, dry mouth, a reddish spot (same spot every
time) on the side, and it just feels/looks wierd. My Dr. said it
looked normal and I probably bit my tongue or cut it eating a piece of
candy or something (no help whatsoever).

Any information that you can provide would be helpful. Your website
and posts have already helped me to understand some of what is
happening to me and what you do is greatly appreciated.

Thanks

Grant 2009-05-11 20:12:36

Well, you’ve got some confusing things happening here. First of all, if
you have cold sores then you have herpes. Period. No questions asked.
Cold sores are generally type 1. You say you had a Western Blot…really?
It’s the most reliable test. The only thing that would give you a negative
is if you were tested too early in the infection to have built up enough
antibodies to be measured. You should wait until 12 to 16 weeks have passed
since the first outbreak. I strongly suggest having a culture run on one of
these cold sores that you say you have. The culture would need to be done
immediately upon the start of an outbreak. So, prearrange this with your
doctor.

What does your doctor think you have?

If you had the Western Blot test run, then there is only one lab in the USA
that runs it and only one lab in Canada that runs it. Do you have a copy of
your test results? Call the doctor and get a copy of your test results and
tell us exactly what kind of test was run.

Have you and your wife been faithful to each other? I always hate to ask
that question, but you need to know the answer to that question to find the
answer to your question above. You have to get herpes from somewhere. It
just doesn’t manifest itself. It is possible to have had it for many years
and never shown symptoms, though. It is possible to get both a genital and
oral infection but usually that happens within the first year of having
herpes. After that time, the body is pretty good at taking care of itself
and infecting another part of the body becomes difficult.

It really depends on the person.

You need to find an opthamologist that specializes in herpes infections.

I don’t know.

Generally, oral infections are on the outside of the mouth – on the corner
or edge of the lips.
Is your doctor even concerned at all about another type of viral or
bacterian infection?

The Western Blot is about the best test there is, but there is a one
or two percent chance that it could give a false negative. Taking
it again, or one of the other (HerpeSelect, for instance) tests
should either confirm or contradict the initial results. If you’re
suffering outbreaks, of course, the best thing to do is immediately
go in for a swab and a culture. A positive there is very reliable,
but a negative is still not conclusive.

It’s possible, but probably not as easy as it sounds. It’s possible
your wife has had herpes for some time, and that it just recently
expressed itself.

They wouldn’t necessarily be synchronized.

I’m not familiar with eye infections, but if you’ve mentioned herpes
to all those people and they’ve discounted it, I would tend to
believe them.

The efficacy of Lysine is much debated. The few studies that have
been done gave mixed results. The optimistic view is that Lysine
will only marginally help about 30% of people who take it. You can
either try 2000 or 3000 mg, or, better yet, talk to your Doc about
a prescription to Valtrex or Acyclovir (the latter being cheaper).
If anything will do the job for you, they will.

On the tongue is fairly rare.

I’m afraid I’m not that much help, but maybe.

Take care,

Mike

Pain devine 2009-05-11 20:13:08

Yes, but he could not really be getting coldsores. A lot of people mistake
pimples, and skin damged (like biting your cheek) as coldsores.

Pain devine 2009-05-11 20:13:11

Sam,
If your test came back negative, you can take it again to be sure but…
Have you considered that you might simply be having an anxiety attack? They
can cause symptoms even worse than herpes. I get them, but not so
sevearly… my aunt gets them so bad that she actually has siezures. Falls
on the floor drooling and everything.
Your wifes symptoms could be herpes, but if so, she probably got it
decades ago and it just recently showed up. But if she doesn’t have it, it
may just be Acne. Large pimples can look like herpes sores. Seeing something
like that, coupled with stress could set anyone into an anxiety attack. If
you think you might be having an anxiety problem, see a shrink, they are
fun! I see one every 2 weeks and I have to say, I always feel great
afterwards. I wish everyone could see a shrink, the world would be a lot
happier place.

Grant 2009-05-11 20:13:15

I said “if,” Pain.
ar

Pain devine 2009-05-11 20:13:18

I know, I was just pointing out the “IF” part… just to make sure. It’s so
common for people to mistake pimples and such for cold sores that I thought
it important to point out. Especially since Sam here actually passed his
blood test.

Anathema04 2009-05-11 20:13:31

I had the little bumps on my lip, that I thought were hair/razor bumps
or acne, that hurt when squeezed, and oozed a yellowish fluid. They
are now red, rash-like sores that I think are during my recurrences.
Is the tingling that I felt in my neck only during the initial
outbreak? I no longer get that, but I have these sweating episodes that are unnerving.

My doctor did not say what he thought I might have. I have had
referrals to a dermatologist and opthamologist and I told both that I
suspected herpes. The opthamologist suggested another type of eye
infection (blepharitis) after an exam.

I will get a copy of my test results. He showed me the IGg/IGm. I saw
a number 0.9 next to one of them, but we did not discuss it much after
he told me it was negative. He really blew through the results too
quickly, after stating that it was negative. We are in the process of
changing primary care providers becuase they have become impersonal
and less attentive (get em in…get em out) than I or my wife care for
at this stage in our lives. The tingling in my neck stopped about a
month ago, was that an initial outbreak and should I wait 12 to 16
weeks from that point to get tested?

I am ashamed to say that it was me, until about 4 years ago. My wife
has sworn to me that she has not been unfaithful, although I never
asked her if she had/had not been. My own guilt prevented me from
making that accusation, but she voluntarily stated that. It was quite
shocking to learn that condoms don’t protect you as much as one might
think. That question was more for clarity, though. After reading about
autoinnoculation, and posts stating that you if you are already
infected with a type (1 or 2) it’s difficult to get reinfected with
that same type, I started to think about my wife’s prodrome (her
blister was painful to the touch, crusted over, and looked exactly
like a photo found online) and the fact that I had symptoms of an oral
infection that occured after that. She has never showed signs of oral
infection, which was even more confusing, because we had been quite
mutual in that regard (oral s**).

Does anyone know of any in the DC/MD/VA area or a site that list them?

I had a followup to an annual physical recently where I thought I
would get some answers (including the Western Blot test results). I
showed him my tongue, told him that it felt like I had a cut in the
middle or that on the sides it felt like an abrasion or that I drank
something too hot. He said that it looked normal.

You all have been very helpful with information, as well as helping
me to maintain my sanity, and I thank you. I want to apologize for not
editing the end of my original post. It was originally sent to another
group member with a website.

Grant 2009-05-12 01:02:03

Hi Sam,

If your blood test results had readings for IGg/IGm then you did not get the
Western Blot test. Many doctors will substitute another test for the
Western Blot. A Western Blot will tell you definitely if you have herpes
and what type. It will say: Positive Herpes Type 1, etc.

I don’t know about the oozing. However, if I remember correctly, herpes
doesn’t usually ooze.

Everyone experiences their prodromes a different way. So, some people will
always get tingling. Some people do sometimes. Some people never have
tingling.

You need to wait 12 to 16 weeks after the time your symptoms first appeared
to have a new blood test run. You can have a culture run anytime, though,
as long as you get to the doctor immediately upon noticing the blister. At
this point, I highly recommend that some doctor start running some tests to
find out what you’ve got.

I don’t remember sweating being a herpes symptom….

A painful tongue can be a symptom of a few things. One of which is a B12
deficiency.

Thanks for your honesty. It is possible that you picked it up 4 years ago.
In which case, your blood tests, no matter when you have them done now,
would be accurate. Of course, it’s possible that your doctor doesn’t know
how to read the IGg and IGm results. They really are confusing. Definitely
get a copy and post it here.

Keep us informed on how you’re doing.

ar

news:…

Jon buratti nd 2009-05-14 07:22:58

I’m a traditional naturopathic physician that can help to irradiate your
herpes symptoms. Check out my website and then give me a call as I perform
telephone testing to clients all over the country. But for this I’d
recommend a herpes blend from the Monastery of Herbs to start and then we’ll
check to see what other meridians are weak so the outbreaks don’t reappear.
Dr. is at 818-848-7414 in Burbank, CA
One actress came to me with Simplex 2 on her face and it turned out that a
bacterial blend removed the problem within 3 days–her immune system was
busy on another infection and her Herpes reappeared. It has been over 4
months since I’ve seen her and her outbreak is still gone.